Saturday, April 25, 2009

Fuck Walmart

Apparently big-time retailer Walmart will turn down customers who want to purchase items from the store.

I'm not kidding.

As I write this, I am furiously thinking of ways to help Walmart go out of business. It's been about six weeks since I've blogged anything, but I'm so pissed at Walmart that I feel this merits a blog.

That seems to be logical. I mean, If the company will not sell items to willing buyers, what is the purpose of doing business?

Now, I realize that there's no law against businesses refusing a transaction with anyone. But it's just plain stupid to turn down money.

Today I needed a few items including a paper shredder, a pet carrier, and a few other items for our new kitten.

To start off, I'm not a huge fan of Walmart. There's the past allegations of using child and sweatshop labor, mistreating and underpaying workers, and the giant helping close long-time mom and pop shops.

However, the prices are low. The stores in general suck ass. Many of the employees don't understand basic English, aisles are crowded, other customers have screaming children, and it takes forever to find what you need. Target is such a better store!

I decided to brave it anyways to look particularly for the pet carrier and the paper shredder.

So I went to Walmart.

After searching around for a half hour, I found what I needed including the carrier. I found the one below, but it seemed to be the only one in the pet aisle and was out of the box. It was near a spot with a price around $30. I was definitely willing to pay that, despite the fact that I would have preferred a model in the box and fresh.




So I get to the register (12) and the cashier notices that the pet carrier does not have a tag on it, which I hadn't noticed. She's not sure what to do. The woman calls over a manager who tells her that it's a "floor model" (Floor model, WTF? If that's a floor model, I'm the pope) and that the "pet manager" needs to approve the purchase and the price.

The cashier rang up my other items, so the customers behind me in line can check out. (Note: I actually suggested that to her, she really had no idea what to do) She also calls the pet department. Twice.

Ten minutes later and I'm very unhappy. It's been a really shitty week and this is not cool. I ask the cashier if there's anything she can do. She suggests I go to the manager's area and ask. Gee, how helpful of her.

I take the carrier over to the managers area and a woman takes it back to the pet department.

Fifteen minutes after that I'm still waiting. Finally, the manager who earlier told me I needed "approval" to purchase the carrier returned with it. He informed me that they could not find anyone with the pet department and since they could not find the item, I could not buy it. That they couldn't "make up a price" (Why didn't they check the web site to see if they could find the item?)

This, after spending 30 minutes just waiting for a price check.

Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous???

I told him that. I said I had been waiting a very long time and was upset that I did that only to be told I couldn't buy an item in a fucking store.

If you find my language offensive, please accept my apologies. I'm not a regular curser unless I'm absolutely livid.

I told the asshole manager that I wanted to return all the items I just purchased. Unfortunately the line for returns was massive. He very rudely replied "Well, go ahead and wait in line."

I left the store in tears, and told the greeter at the door that I would never go back there again.

As I pushed my cart to my car I could not believe what had just happened. I was so angry that I hurled my cart upside down in some grass near my parking spot. Sorry, Walmart, not using those cart return spots this time! This is a bit embarassing, but I was also in tears leaving and driving home.

While driving out of the parking lot, I called 1-800-Walmart to file a complaint with that store. I really wish I had noticed the asshole manager's nametag. He was a heavier set white guy with brown-gray hair in his mid to late 40s. I've NEVER called a corporate office of any store to complain before.

I then called the store I had just left to try and find out his name. I was told Roy was the assistant manager on duty.

Just a few hours later Roy actually called. The voice didn't sound like asshole-man from earlier. He "apologized" for my experience and said that they found another identical carrier in the box. (Genius Roy, why wasn't anyone able to find it when I was actually AT the fucking store???) Apparently the carrier was $16 and not $30. He told me he could "help" me out with the price. Like I needed help with buying a $16 carrier?

I told him how poor the customer service is at Walmarts in general, and that store in particular... and that I would be returning all the items I'd purchased that day. Why the hell would a store refuse to sell a customer an item that's ON THE SHELF???

He told me to stop by and see him when I was there.

I had great satisfaction in telling him that I would go out of my way to return the other items at another store.

Personally, I will never set foot inside that store again. And besides a trip to another location to return the stuff I bought and get my money back, I will never go to Walmart again. My husband and I have a Sam's Club membership. Sam's Club is unfortunately owned by Walmart. I really don't have a desire to renew our membership and give that horrible corporation our business.
And it is now my mission to destroy Walmart. I urge all of you who have pride and are sick of being treated with no respect and dealing with the nightmare that is Walmart to shop elsewhere. Target, Aldi's, Big Lots, local shops, wherever.
Why give over your hard earned money to a business that apparently doesn't want or need it.
Fuck Walmart.
I recommend to anyone who lives in the Tampa Bay area, NOT to give your business to this particular Walmart store:

8001 US Highway 19 N
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
(727) 576-1770 - Ask for assistant manager Roy!